Sources close to Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was no evidence of Ukrainian involvement in the attack in Moscow, Bloomberg reported. Putin himself still insists that there is a connection with Ukraine. According to Russian correspondent Joost Bosman, the fact that people from Putin's inner circle contradict him indicates a certain division within the elite.
Only Putin still believes Ukraine is behind the attack
According to Bosman, meetings have been held in recent days with Putin's officials and subordinates, with participants indicating there is no connection to Ukraine. Only the head of the FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, and the head of the Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, support Putin's version. Bortnikov said he would continue to search for information proving Kiev's involvement.
“We have seen these people, they are not treated kindly, so what is the value of these certificates?”
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Bortnikov himself has said that incriminating information about Ukraine comes from suspects' testimonies, and Deckers points out that everyone can see what they look like after being interrogated by police and how little their statements are worth. “We have seen these people, they are not treated kindly, so what is the value of these certificates?”
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The Belarusian President exposes Putin's story
An important witness in Ukraine's defense is Putin's staunch ally Alexander Lukashenko, the president of neighboring Belarus. Lukashenko said yesterday that the perpetrators tried to escape to Belarus, but the border was so heavily guarded that they had to return. This contradicts Putin's narrative that the perpetrators wanted to flee to Ukraine. “So the Putin story has actually become weaker, if it hasn’t already.”
